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Shrewsbury is a market town on the River Severn with a population of approximately 72,000 - 77,000. Shrewsbury's centre has a relatively unaltered medieval street plan. This is because it was not bombed much in the Second World War. Shrewsbury Castle and Shrewsbury Abbey were both founded in the late 1100s. historically, the town has been a centre for the trade in wool and for brewing.

The town is the commercial centre for mid-Wales and Shropshire. This is helped by the good transport links that Shrewsbury has; the A5 and the A49 both connect with the town's bypass, and the town's railway station is a network hub and the 14th busiest in the West Midlands.

History
In the beginning of the 900s, in medieval times, Shrewsbury had a mint, suggesting that the town was fortified.

The town was at its peak of commercial importance in the late Middle Ages, largely due the the wool trade, which was a big industry as the time, and the River Severn as a trading route. Shrewsbury thrived throughout the 16th and 17th centuries; largely due to the town's fortuitous location, which allowed it to control the Welsh wool trade.

The town prospered throughout the Early Modern Period, mainly due to Shrewsbury's good location which meant it could control the Welsh wool trade. The town is home to the Ditherington Flax Mill, which was a mill that processed flax (cotton).

A market and corn exchange (where grain was bought and sold) was built in 1869.

Shrewsbury suffered very little from the bombs in World War Two, which is why the town's buildings are still intact. In 1989, Darwin Shopping Centre (one of the town's major shopping centres) opened.

Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status in 2000 and 2002.

In 2004, Shrewsbury won the  'West Midlands Capital of Enterprise' award. The town's two major business parks, Shrewsbury Business Park and Battlefield Enterprise Park are expanding. Many homes are being built in the town because of the increasing numbers of people wishing to live in the town since people can commute to Telford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham from Shrewsbury.

The Darwin Gate and the Quantum Leap were unveiled in 2004 and 2009 respectively.



Shrewsbury Flower Show
Shrewsbury Flower Show is an annual event held in mid-August over two days, usually on the second Friday and Saturday of the month in recent times. The event is organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. The show is also the 'Longest running flower show in the world': it has been running for more than 125 years. The event has won several awards in recent years.

Shopping
Shrewsbury has 4 shopping centres, the biggest of which being the Pride Hill and Darwin centres, which house many retailers such as H&M, M&S, Boots and Next. The economy of shopping in the town was worth about £115 million in 2001. A plan to redevelop the Riverside centre and join the Darwin and Pride Hill centres was given planning permission in April 2012. A fourth centre, the Parade Shopping Centre, houses only independent retailers.

There are two retail parks in the town, Meole Brace Retail Park and Sundorne Retail Park. Sundorne houses Dunelm Mill and Staples, whereas Meole Brace houses Argos and Currys PC World.

Brewing
Shrewsbury has a brewery, The Salopian Brewery, which makes bottle conditioned beer and cask ale. It makes about 80 barrels a week. The history of breweries in Shrewsbury is immense. As early as 1400 beer made in Shrewsbury was celebrated. In 1900 there was 8 breweries and a real ale brewery was started in 1995.

Pubs
The trend of pubs in the town has declined in recent years, at one time, there was over 300 pubs in Shrewsbury. At the most recent count, there were 87 pubs in Shrewsbury.

Safety of pub and shop goers
The safety of pub and shop goers has been enforced by use of several methods:
 * CCTV
 * Security guards
 * Shortwave radios
 * Shopping centre security
 * Presence of security personnel
 * and many more

Shrewsbury cakes
Shrewsbury cakes are small brittle biscuits.

Imitators of Shrewsbury
The good name of Shrewsbury has been stolen by several places and other things over the years, such as:

Places

 * Shrewsbury Rock, Queensland
 * Shrewsbury Chapel, Barbados
 * Shrewsbury, Ontario
 * Shrewsbury, Quebec
 * Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
 * Shrewsbury, Westmoreland
 * Shrewsbury, Saint Elizabeth
 * Shrewsbury, Portland


 * Shrewsbury, Kentucky
 * Shrewsbury, Louisiana
 * Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
 * Shrewsbury, Missouri
 * Shrewsbury, New Jersey
 * Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey
 * Shrewsbury, Upper Freehold, New Jersey
 * Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
 * Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
 * Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania
 * Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, a Borough
 * Shrewsbury, Vermont
 * Shrewsbury, West Virginia

Other
All of these other names are copies and the Shrewsbury in the United Kingdom was the first. Finally, the phase coined by the proud Salopians: Shrewsbury. 'the original one-off'.  Category:Populated places on the River Severn Category:Market towns in Shropshire Category:Towns of the Welsh Marches Category:County towns in England Category:Railway towns in England Category:Populated places established in the 1st millennium Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English) Category:Towns with cathedrals in the United Kingdom Category:Towns in Shropshire Category:Civil parishes in Shropshire
 * Shrewsbury River, a tributary of the Navesink River in New Jersey
 * HMS Shrewsbury, the name of various ships of the British Royal Navy
 * USS Shrewsbury (SP-70), a United States Navy patrol boat in commission from 1917 to 1919
 * Shrewsbury House (Wells Cathedral School, UK)